Exchange of messages split into fragments for different recipients on client side

Abstract

A system and related method exchange messages under the control of a messaging client. The method comprises splitting a content of a source message into a plurality of fragments defined by corresponding portions of its content associated with different recipients of the message. A plurality of transport messages are generated, each comprising one or more of the fragments associated with the recipients. The transport messages are submitted to a messaging server for causing it to provide the transport messages to corresponding further messaging clients of the recipients for their aggregation. A computer program and a computer program product for performing the method are also provided.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for exchanging messages over a communication network, wherein the method comprises, under control of and by a messaging client:
 creating a source message having a content and being addressed to a plurality of recipients associated with corresponding segments being at least in part different, each of the segments being defined by at least a portion of the content of the source message; 
 associating categorized one or more of the segments each with one or more selected categories of one or more pre-defined categories; 
 determining one or more of the recipients of the source message associated with each of the selected categories from an address book; 
 associating categorized one or more of the segments each with one or more selected categories of one or more pre-defined categories; 
 splitting the content of the source message into a plurality of fragments defined by corresponding portions of the content of the source message associated with different ones of the recipients; 
 generating a plurality of transport messages, each having content comprising one or more of the fragments associated with the one or more of the recipients and being addressed thereto, the transport messages containing corresponding aggregation information for aggregating the transport messages according to the corresponding recipients; and 
 submitting the transport messages to a messaging server for causing the messaging server to provide the transport messages to corresponding further messaging clients of the corresponding recipients for aggregation thereof according to the corresponding aggregation information. 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
 grouping the fragments into a plurality of groups each comprising one or more of the fragments associated with the one or more of the recipients; and 
 generating the transport messages corresponding to the groups each having the content comprising the fragments of the corresponding group. 
 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the method comprises:
 generating a main one of the transport messages being addressed to all the recipients, the main transport message containing the corresponding aggregation information comprising an indication of the fragments of secondary one or more of the transport messages being different from the main transport message. 
 
     
     
       4. The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the method further comprises:
 generating the main transport message having the content comprising common one or more of the fragments being common to all the recipients. 
 
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the method further comprises:
 generating the main transport message having the content comprising corresponding placeholders in place of the fragments of the secondary transport messages. 
 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:
 receiving a plurality of further transport messages having corresponding contents and containing corresponding further aggregation information for aggregating the further transport messages; 
 generating a target message having a content obtained by aggregating the contents of the further transport messages according to the further aggregation information; and 
 outputting a representation of the target message. 
 
     
     
       7. The method according to  claim 6 , wherein the method further comprises:
 receiving the further transport messages comprising a main further transport message and one or more secondary further transport messages, the content of each of secondary further transport messages comprising one or more further fragments and the further aggregation information of the main further transport message comprising an indication of the further fragments of the secondary further transport messages; and 
 generating the target message having the content obtained by inserting the further fragments of the secondary further transport messages into the content of the main further transport message according to the further aggregation information. 
 
     
     
       8. The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the method further comprises:
 receiving the further main transport message with the content comprising corresponding further placeholders indicative of the further fragments of the further secondary transport messages; and 
 generating the target message having the content obtained by inserting the further fragments of the further secondary transport messages into the content of the further main transport message in place of the corresponding further placeholders. 
 
     
     
       9. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the source message and the transport messages are corresponding e-mails. 
     
     
       10. The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the content of each of the e-mails comprises a body, at least part of the segments and the fragments comprising corresponding pieces of the body. 
     
     
       11. The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the content of each of the e-mails comprises one or more attachments, at least part of the segments and the fragments each comprising one or more of the attachments. 
     
     
       12. A computer program product implementing a messaging client for exchanging messages over a communication network, the computer program product comprising one or more computer readable storage media having program instructions collectively stored in said one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions readable by a computing system to cause the computing system to perform a method comprising:
 creating a source message having a content and being addressed to a plurality of recipients associated with corresponding segments being at least in part different, each of the segments being defined by at least a portion of the content of the source message; 
 associating categorized one or more of the segments each with one or more selected categories of one or more pre-defined categories; 
 determining one or more of the recipients of the source message associated with each of the selected categories from an address book; 
 associating categorized one or more of the segments each with one or more selected categories of one or more pre-defined categories; 
 splitting the content of the source message into a plurality of fragments defined by corresponding portions of the content of the source message associated with different ones of the recipients; 
 generating a plurality of transport messages each having a content comprising one or more of the fragments associated with the one or more of the recipients and being addressed thereto, the transport messages containing corresponding aggregation information for aggregating the transport messages according to the corresponding recipients; and 
 submitting the transport messages to a messaging server for causing the messaging server to provide the transport messages to corresponding further messaging clients of the corresponding recipients for aggregation thereof according to the corresponding aggregation information. 
 
     
     
       13. A system for exchanging messages over a communication network, wherein the system implements a messaging client comprising:
 a user interface for creating a source message having a content and being addressed to a plurality of recipients associated with corresponding segments being at least in part different, wherein the source message comprises a plurality of segments; and wherein each of the segments being defined by at least a portion of the content of the source message; 
 a segmenter for selecting one or more categories of recipients from among the plurality of recipients to receive each of the respective segments; 
 a splitter for splitting the content of the source message into a plurality of fragments defined by corresponding portions of the content of the source message associated with different ones of the recipients; 
 the splitter for generating a plurality of transport messages each having a content comprising one or more of the fragments associated with the selected categories of recipients and being addressed to the respective recipients thereof, the transport messages containing corresponding aggregation information for aggregating the transport messages according to the corresponding recipients; and 
 a sending agent for submitting the transport messages to a messaging server for causing the messaging server to provide the transport messages to corresponding further messaging clients of the corresponding recipients for aggregation thereof according to the corresponding aggregation information. 
 
     
     
       14. The system according to  claim 13 , wherein the message client is further adapted to:
 group the fragments into a plurality of groups each comprising one or more of the fragments associated with the one or more of the recipients; and 
 generate the transport messages corresponding to the groups each having the content comprising the fragments of the corresponding group. 
 
     
     
       15. The system according to  claim 13 , wherein the message client is further adapted to generate a main one of the transport messages being addressed to all the recipients, the main transport message containing the corresponding aggregation information comprising an indication of the fragments of secondary one or more of the transport messages being different from the main transport message. 
     
     
       16. The system according to  claim 15 , wherein the message client is further adapted to generate the main transport message having the content comprising common one or more of the fragments being common to all the recipients. 
     
     
       17. The system according to  claim 15 , wherein the message client is further adapted to generate the main transport message having the content comprising corresponding placeholders in place of the fragments of the secondary transport messages. 
     
     
       18. The system according to  claim 13 , wherein the message client is further adapted to:
 receive a plurality of further transport messages having corresponding contents and containing corresponding further aggregation information for aggregating the further transport messages; 
 generate a target message having a content obtained by aggregating the contents of the further transport messages according to the further aggregation information; and 
 output a representation of the target message. 
 
     
     
       19. The system according to  claim 18 , wherein the message client is further adapted to:
 receive the further transport messages comprising a main further transport message and one or more secondary further transport messages, the content of each of secondary further transport messages comprising one or more further fragments and the further aggregation information of the main further transport message comprising an indication of the further fragments of the secondary further transport messages; and 
 generate the target message having the content obtained by inserting the further fragments of the secondary further transport messages into the content of the main further transport message according to the further aggregation information.